You want to advance in your career. How can you make sure you're on the right track?

If you have a career goal in mind, you probably want to achieve it as soon as possible. But how do you know if you're making the right moves and not wasting your time and energy? Here are some tips to help you stay on track and advance in your career.

1 Assess your skills and interests

Before you pursue any career opportunity, you need to have a clear idea of your strengths, weaknesses, interests, and values. This will help you identify what you enjoy doing, what you're good at, and what you need to improve. You can use various tools, such as self-assessments, feedback, or mentors, to evaluate your skills and interests. Then, you can align them with your career aspirations and look for gaps or areas of development.

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2 Set SMART goals

Once you know what you want to achieve in your career, you need to break it down into specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals. These are called SMART goals, and they can help you stay focused, motivated, and accountable. For example, if you want to become a project manager, you might set a SMART goal like this: "I will complete a project management certification course by the end of the year and apply for at least three project manager positions within six months."

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Dominik E. Froehlich

Prof. Methods of Work Psychology | Coach | Bestselling course creator | Thesis & Dissertation Mentor
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The trouble with the SMART formula is that it is often more difficult to understand WHAT to set a goal for than HOW to formulate it in a SMART way. I suggest that every goal should be a learning goal. To take the example from the AI description of this step (completing a project management certification course) - start by asking what this certiciation could mean to you. Your answer will basically be an assumption - you assume that this will be good for your career, for example. Then set a SMART goal to test this assumption (and learn).

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3 Seek feedback and guidance

No matter how confident or experienced you are, you can always benefit from feedback and guidance from others. They can help you identify your blind spots, improve your performance, and expand your network. You can seek feedback and guidance from various sources, such as your manager, colleagues, mentors, coaches, or clients. You should also be open to constructive criticism and use it as an opportunity to learn and grow.

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Dominik E. Froehlich

Prof. Methods of Work Psychology | Coach | Bestselling course creator | Thesis & Dissertation Mentor
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Navigating your career is all about learning and uncovering your hidden assumptions about the world. Feedback should be a frequently used tool in your toolbox to accomplish this kind of learning. Whatever the question is, assume that you know nothing about it (because most likely this is closer to the truth than the opposite assumption). Then, reach out to learn more. And reach out widely. Since any feedback you will receive is highly biased and subjective, I always find the quantity of feedback (and, therefore, the diversity of feedback) more important than the quality of a single instance of feedback. Mix up your sources. Continue asking.

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4 Keep learning and developing

The world of work is constantly changing, and so are the skills and knowledge required to succeed in it. If you want to advance in your career, you need to keep learning and developing new competencies and abilities. You can do this by taking courses, attending workshops, reading books, listening to podcasts, or joining online communities. You should also look for opportunities to apply what you learn in your current or future roles.

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5 Showcase your achievements

One of the best ways to advance in your career is to showcase your achievements and demonstrate your value to your employer or potential employer. You can do this by updating your resume, portfolio, or LinkedIn profile with your accomplishments, awards, or testimonials. You can also share your success stories, challenges, or learnings with your manager, colleagues, or network. This will help you build your reputation, credibility, and visibility in your field.

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Dominik E. Froehlich

Prof. Methods of Work Psychology | Coach | Bestselling course creator | Thesis & Dissertation Mentor
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Learning about your career is a process, not an achievement. As long as you live, you are an actual work in progress - so I don't believe in the notion of "showcasing your achievements". Showcase the process instead. Showcase your learning. Showcase the assumptions you had - the correct ones and the faulty ones. This will create true visibility, as you share truths (your process) instead of questionable "achievements" (that are highly loaded with wrong assumptions about their very nature).

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6 Be proactive and flexible

Finally, if you want to advance in your career, you need to be proactive and flexible. This means that you should take initiative, seek new challenges, and embrace change. You should also be ready to adapt to different situations, environments, or expectations. By being proactive and flexible, you will show that you are a reliable, resourceful, and resilient professional who can handle any opportunity or obstacle that comes your way.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Dr. Sunil Deshpande ( Ph.D. in HR and Technology )

Over 3 decades of Global experience l HR Advisor to Startups, Emerging Companies l Strategic HR Leader with experience in Technology, Telecom, Consulting, Retail, Education, Data Centre MSPs, Real Estate & Mfg. Sectors
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If you want to advance your career, you should : 1. Ensure to not only deliver your set KRAs/ Goals but go beyond and deliver. 2. Be proactive to take up any new projects/ initiatives/ assignments and deliver as expected or beyond. 3. Sharpen the saw : hone your skills and learn continuously beyond your stated role. Be updated! 4. Actively participate and contribute in organisation wide initiatives. 5. Develop your successor consciously and in a planned manner such that once you grow, there is no gap of talent. 6. Build and develop a strong , high performing team. Without a great team, one can not grow. This will show your “ leadership “ skills. And MOST IMPORTANT: Don’t work for promotion. It will come if you are the best !!

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You want to advance in your career. How can you make sure you're on the right track?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Assess your skills and interests

2 Set SMART goals

3 Seek feedback and guidance

4 Keep learning and developing

5 Showcase your achievements

6 Be proactive and flexible

7 Here’s what else to consider

Business Services

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You want to advance in your career. How can you make sure you're on the right track?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Assess your skills and interests

2 Set SMART goals

3 Seek feedback and guidance

4 Keep learning and developing

5 Showcase your achievements

6 Be proactive and flexible

7 Here’s what else to consider

Business Services

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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